A Thousand Years
by TatabugKKB
Summary: *ON INDEFINITE HIATUS* A story of Rebekah and Klaus' relationship through the years, told through a series of flashbacks. Rated T.
1. The Beginning

*****The idea for this came to me out of blue, and I originally posted it on Wattpad, but I wanted to post it for everyone on here as well. The present time in the story takes place after episode 3x22 when Klaus is staked by Alairc and Rebekah believes him to be dead. **

_"I've spent my entire life loving and hating my brother with equal measure."_

******Part One: The Beginning**

The thought of a world without her brother, no matter how much she thought she hated him right now, made Rebekah feel numb. She'd spent almost her entire immortal life, and mortal for that matter, by his side. No matter how hard she willed herself to hate him, no matter what horrible things he did, he was still her brother. She could never truely hate him. Loving Nik was part of who she was.

She'd watched helplessly as Alaric had shoved the stake in her brother's heart, screamed as Damon Salvatore held her back, but there had been nothing she could do. In the moment when her brother couldn't defend himself, when he'd needed her the most, she'd done nothing. She'd failed him again, as she always did. She could never do anything right. Her brother had told her that much many times. And damn him, he was right.

Damon had told her to run and so she had. She wasn't sure why she had listened. In truth she had wanted nothing more than to die as well. If her brother was gone, what was she to do now? She'd never been alone. In over a thousand years, she had not once been on her own. And now that she was, she was lost. Nik had been her one constant in their life of chaos, and now he was gone and she had not the slightest clue what to do.

She ran until she was face to face with Elijah. Seeing his face had set something off inside her. The numbness cleared, and all she felt was pain. It crashed into her all at once and she threw herself into Elijah's arms and sobbed. Elijah said nothing. He simply held her while she cried.

Nik was gone and all that was left in Rebekah's heart was pain and an emptiness that she could never fill.

* * *

In her mortal life, Rebekah had been perfectly content. She'd spend her days with her mother, helping around the house and having their special talks that her mother only shared with her because she was the only daughter.

Or she'd roam the woods with her little brother Henrik, who was gentle and kind. He could make her smile without even trying, and they'd pick berries or see who could swim the farthest in the lake or run the fastest through the trees.

Or she'd sneak off to the caves with Kol, exploring in the dark and making silly jokes. He was the most carefree of all her brothers, and any afternoon spent with him was sure to be interesting. There had been several times when the two of them had caused some kind of mischief, and gotten punished for it later. But she'd do it again and again, because time spent with Kol was exciting.

Other times she would go walking through the village with Elijah, talking with him about anything and everything. He was the easiest to talk to, and being with him was relaxing. He wasn't prone to mischief like her other brothers, but she enjoyed being with him all the same.

Her father Mikael was a harsh man, and her brother Finn was growing to be quite like him, so she seldom spent time in their company if it wasn't required.

She knew it wasn't right to have favorites, but if she had to choose, Nik was who she loved spending time with the most. He could cheer her up when she was sad, take her mind off things even when she felt like crying. He'd comfort her when Mikael frightened her and sit up late into the night telling her stories when she couldn't sleep. He'd taught her to ride a horse and to wield a sword even though Mikael had forbade it, and suffered their father's wrath for doing so. He'd smile his dimpled smile and call her "little sister" and Rebekah would be truly happy.

Everything then had been absolutely perfect and when Rebekah looked back on her human life through the years, she thought that it was the only time she had been genuinely happy.

Everything had gone down hill from there and their family was never the same.

* * *

Rebekah would never forget the first time her father had truly frightened her. In the past he'd treated her like a princess, for she was his only daughter. But as she grew older, she grew more mischievous, more like Klaus and Kol, and her relationship with Mikael began to change.

At first it was just cross words. He'd scold her for running off into the woods, or for doing something that he deemed unfit for a young lady to do. That hadn't bothered her so much, because she knew she had done wrong.

But one night she had woken from her sleep to hear her father shouting at Niklaus, calling him a stupid boy as he always did when he was angry with him. Rebekah always felt horrible when Mikael treated Nik this way, so she had tiptoed from her bed to listen to the altercation.

Their argument as it turned out was about her. Finn had come across Nik and Rebekah in the woods during one of their secret sword fighting lessons, and Finn had told father. And father was furious. Rebekah had never seen him so angry.

He shouted at Niklaus in a booming voice, cursing him for going behind his back and teaching Rebekah such things. And just like he always did, he raised his hand and hit Niklaus, knocking him back against the wall. But Niklaus was getting older now and he was able to fight back and this time he did. He shoved Mikael, causing him to fall. The look on Mikael's face was one of pure rage.

Mikael got up and advanced towards Niklaus and in that moment something stirred inside Rebekah. She wouldn't allow Mikael to hurt him again. She ran and placed herself between them, throwing her hands up and begging her father not to hit Nik again.

But Mikael was too angry. He raised his hand to her as well, and slapped her hard across the face. "This isn't your concern, silly girl. And you are in just as much trouble as he is", Mikael had growled.

Rebekah cowered to the floor, holding her face and tried to stop the tears from flowing from her eyes. Mikael had never hit her before.

Nik had yelled at Mikael in a fit of rage and punched him, knocking Mikael to the ground again. "Don't you dare hit her!", Nik screamed. He knelt beside Rebekah and put a hand on her shoulder and Rebekah threw her arms around him, sobbing in his chest.

Mikael advanced on the two of them again but Esther had finally decided to intervene. She stood in the doorway and looked at her two children on the floor and then looked at Mikael. "Enough Mikael. You've taught them your lesson. Leave them be."

It had taken not only Esther but both Finn and Elijah to finally quell Mikael's rage. Rebekah lay in bed afterwards, her cheek still stinging from Mikael's blow, when she heard footsteps and then someones weight next to her in bed. She turned around to find Nik sitting beside her. "I'll never let him hurt you again Bekah. I swear it", he had promised.

That was the only promise her brother had ever kept.

* * *

Though things had essentially been good in her human years, Mikael's treatment of his children was only one of the problems the family faced. There was another trouble they had to face, once every month on the full moon. Many of the people in the village were werewolves, and this posed a threat to all the human villagers. So once a month, the family would take refuge underground.

One full moon, Nik had the idea to sneak out and watch the men turn to wolves. He'd thought he had gone alone, but Henrik had followed him. Rebekah remembered the panic in her heart when she discovered the two of them gone. She'd stayed awake all night, praying that they would come back safe. But when morning came, tragedy came with it.

She heard Niklaus' screams and immediately ran outside to meet him. She was horrified when she saw him carrying the limp body of their little brother in his arms. Nik sat Henrik's body on the ground, and Rebekah rushed to his side. Nik was crying, repeating the same phrase over and over. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry", he sobbed.

The tears had stung in Rebekah's eyes, and she had held Nik while they cried for their brother. She barely heard the rest of her family around them. She held onto Nik tightly as she cried, wanting only to comfort him, and praying that they would make it through this.

The loss of Henrik was the first time Rebekah felt true sorrow. It was not the last.

* * *

Henrik's death had hit the family hard. Her mother and father had already lost one child before coming to the village and now they had lost a second. The group of siblings were clueless, but their parents had been planning to make sure they didn't lose another.

A few nights after Henrik's death the family had all sat down to dinner together. Their father had offered them all a glass of red wine which was a rare occurrence, especially for the younger siblings. They drank every last drop in their cups and went to bed, not knowing what would happen that night.

Rebekah had woken with a start on the floor, her nightgown covered with blood. She had not the slightest clue what had happened to her. The sight of the blood caused her to panic, and that was when she heard Nik's voice from behind her.

His shirt was bloodstained as well she had noticed as he crawled over to her. He put his arm around her shoulder. "Rebekah it will be alright. Everything will be alright", he had said, though she could tell from his voice that he was just as frightened as she was.

That was when their father came into the room, dragging a young girl that Rebekah recognized from around the village behind him, though Rebekah couldn't remember her name. He took a blade and slid it across the inside of the girls forearm and placed it in front of Rebekah. He commanded her to drink. Rebekah had shook her head, disgusted, but Mikael had forced her to anyway. He made the rest of her siblings do the same and then did so himself.

Her parents had laced the wine they drank with blood. Their father had stabbed them while they slept. And when they woke up and drank the blood as he commanded, they completed their transition into vampires. It had been their mother's idea, a desperate attempt to keep her children safe. And it had been a mistake.

Their cravings for blood had turned them into monsters. They took lives in their thirst, and when Niklaus had took his first life, everything had changed. When the family discovered what he was, they knew he could not be Mikael's son. Mikael called Nik an abomination, and their mother put a curse on him, keeping his werewolf side dormant but the damage was already done.

The way Nik told it, Mikael had killed Esther in a fit of rage. She knew the truth now, but for a thousand years the story Nik told her was the one that she believed.

Mikael, Kol, and Finn had all fled the village. Her and Nik stayed, as well as Elijah, and they had buried their mother. They'd promised "always and forever" over her grave.

But as it turns out, that promise was never enough.

*****What does everyone think? Should I continue? Leave a review and let me know what you think. **


	2. The First Betrayal

*********Well will you look at that! Two chapters in one day! I'm really enjoying writing this story. I intended for it to be a happy Klebekah story, but of course things between the two can never be simple and easy. That's really what I love about Klaus and Rebekah's relationship. It's so complex and interesting. Co-dependent and unhealthy yeah, but still, complex and interesting :)**

******Part Two: The First Betrayal**

The first few years of her immortal life were a blur to Rebekah. She traveled from place to place with Nik and Elijah, never once leaving their sides. They'd learned in that first year, by pure accident, that they could create other vampires with their blood. The discovery had in part been Rebekah's fault. They'd learned just beforehand that their blood could heal a human. This discovery had come as an accident as well, a result of Nik's curiousity.

Rebekah had never had many friends. When they'd arrived in a new town, her brothers had went about their business. Elijah kept to himself most of the time, spending his days in solitude. While Nik preferred to spend his days taking part in other activities, most of which included feeding. It was difficult to keep their secret when Nik insisted on flaunting his nature whenever he saw fit. So Rebekah was left on her own most days. She'd stumbled into town one day and come across a girl around her own age.

The girl's name was Hanna, and she become one of Rebekah's constant companions. Being in a family full of men, she'd never had much female companionship other than her mother. Spending time with Hanna was a nice change of pace, and the girl really was fun to be around. They'd gossip about the boys they fancied and do each others hair. It was nice to forget about what she was for a change, and Rebekah become quite fond of the girl.

One day the two girls had gone for horseback ride through the woods. Rebekah had suggested a race, and Hanna had agreed with a smile. They raced through the trees laughing as they went, all the while taunting each other playfully. Rebekah was ahead of Hanna and she called back to the girl, calling her a slow poke and saying she knew that she would beat her. Hanna had tried to catch up with Rebekah, urging her horse to go faster. But her horse had faltered, tossing Hanna from her saddle. She'd hit the ground with a thud, and Rebekah had realized with a sinking feeling in her stomach that Hanna had hit her head a rock.

Rebekah had jumped down from her horse and ran to the Hanna as fast as she could. The girls breathing was shallow and Rebekah didn't know what else to do. She'd checked around her to make sure no one was there to see and then she'd feed Hanna her blood. For a moment she'd thought it would work and her blood would heal her. But a few moments later, Hanna had stopped breathing. Rebekah had threw her arms around the girl and cried. She was the only true friend Rebekah had ever had.

She'd rode back to town and found her two brothers, pleading with them to come worth her, telling them that there had been an accident. They'd rode back together to the spot where she'd left Hanna. Rebekah gasped in surprise when she realized that Hanna was no longer where she'd left her. "She was right here. She was not breathing. She was dead", Rebekah told her brothers, confused.

"If this is one of your tricks Rebekah, it is not a very good one", Niklaus had said. And then Rebekah had noticed Hanna hiding in the trees. She rushed over to her side and hugged her again, and pulled her over to where her brothers were still mounted on their horses.

Hanna shrieked and hid her eyes, complaining that the sunshine was too bright. Niklaus had given the girl a curious look before dismounting his horse and looking the girl over carefully. "Bekah, what have you done?", Nik asked.

"I only gave her my blood in hopes that it would heal her. But I was too late. I swear when I left her here she was dead!", Rebekah said.

"Don't you see what's happening? Your blood brought her back to life, she's in transition to vampire", Nik explained, but Rebekah had shook her head. That was not possible.

"It seems we can create other vampires like ourselves with our blood", Elijah had mused.

Rebekah looked at Niklaus with pleading eyes. "No Nik. I'm sorry, I did not mean to. I was simply trying to help her. She's my friend", she said.

Nik had smiled at her and Rebekah had thought that everything would be alright. "That's alright little sister", he'd said. "No harm done. There's a simple solution to the probem." And he'd snapped Hanna's neck just like that. The sound was sickening and Rebekah had screamed, horrified at what her brother had done.

"Why did you do that?", Rebekah had cried. And Nik had simply smiled at her again, telling her that the girl would have been a burden that they didn't need.

They'd left the town that night. They rode until they reached the sea, and then they'd caught a ship sailing for Europe. Nik found her on the deck of the ship, looking out at the water. He'd told her well done for her discovery, that they could use this in the future. Rebekah had tried her best to hide her true feelings, and smiled at her brother.

In truth, that was the first time she felt she couldn't trust her brother.

* * *

They'd settled in France first. It had been months since the incident with Hanna, and Rebekah had tried her best to put the experience behind her. Nik had announced that they would be going to a ball that evening, that they'd been invited personally by a prominent Lord. He'd brought her a beautiful dress. It was purple with silk flowers embedded into the fabric. Rebekah had thanked her brother genuinely, telling him that the dress was beautiful. Nik had replied, "Only the best for my little sister."

They arrived late, Rebekah on the arms of both her brothers, and Rebekah had been stunned at what she saw. The Lord's manor was huge and beautiful, filled with people laughing and dancing and drinking. She'd never seen anything like it. She smiled, excited to see what the night would bring. Elijah had wondered off on his own, conversing with the other guests. Rebekah remained on Nik's arm as he talked with first the Lord and then other various guests, smiling and talking back when she was spoken to, laughing at her brother's jokes. She drank whenever something was offered to her and watched the couples dancing.

She soon became bored with all the conversation, and begged her brother to dance with her. He'd rolled his eyes at her, but agreed in the end, leading her to the dance floor and twirling her around among the other dancing couples. She'd laughed as they danced and her brother wore one of his rare genuine smiles. She hadn't had this much fun, especially with Niklaus, in years.

Other men had asked her to dance, but Rebekah had refused, choosing to remain with Nik instead. He was truly in a good mood that night, something that was rare as of late, and she wanted to cherish it. For the rest of the night they laughed and dance and drank. It was the best night that Rebkeah had had in a long time.

When they returned home that evening, Rebekah had thanked Nik. When he asked for what, she told him the truth, that she hadn't had such a good time in ages. He'd smiled at her and chuckled. "You need to get out more Bekah", he'd joked.

When he'd left to return to his own room, Rebekah had thought to herself that she wished things could be this good forever. The foolish wish of a little girl.

* * *

One night a few months later, Nik had come home covered in blood, his own blood. Rebekah had rushed to his side, asking him if he was hurt. He'd told her that he would of course be fine, he was a vampire he would heal, but that they had to leave at once. Rebekah asked why, she had grown to like it here, and his answer had frightened her. Mikael was here. He'd found them.

As Nik called for Elijah and rushed around making the preparations to leave, Rebekah had wrapped her arms around herself. As a human Mikael had been terrifying enough, but now as a vampire he was something else entirely. The thought of him finding them, of him hurting her or her brothers made Rebekah feel sick. Nik had noticed Rebekah's demeanor. His face softened and he walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and asking her what was the matter.

"I'm frightened", Rebekah had answered in a tiny voice.

Nik wrapped her in his arms and told her, "Don't worry. I'll never let him hurt you, remember?"

"I don't want him to hurt you either", she'd said, holding him tight.

Nik had scoffed and gave his sister a determined look. "He won't hurt me Bekah. He won't hurt any of us because we're leaving", he said, releasing her from his grip. He told her to pack only as much as she could carry, and the moment of tenderness was over.

The three of them left in the darkness of the night, putting as much distance between themselves and Mikael as possible.

* * *

In the years that followed, the three siblings moved from place to place, never staying in one place for too long. They made certain to hide what they were as best they could. But wherever they went they heard whispered stories of monsters that looked like humans and fed on people's blood. It would seem that their brothers were not being as discrete as they were.

They spent a few years in Ireland where they owned a small manor. It wasn't one of Rebekah's fonder memories, because her time there had been boring. Nik was growing more paranoid of Mikael finding them by the second, and he ordered Rebekah to never leave the manor alone. She spent most of her time indoors reading, and for a time only left the house t0 feed and always in the company of one of her brothers.

But one day Nik had come to her and told her he had a surprise for her. He'd took her hand and told her to come with him and close her eyes. He led her outside and when he told her to open her eyes, Rebekah shrieked with delight. Standing before her was a beautiful horse, a white mare. Nik told her he knew that she was growing bored with remaining indoors and told her she could ride the horse whenever she wanted, as long as she remained on their property.

Rebekah threw her arms around her brothers neck and thanked him, telling him that her horse was the best gift she'd ever gotten. "So you like her then?", he had asked.

"I love her. She's perfect", she'd replied.

Nik smiled. "Well let's go for a ride then." And so they had. They spent the rest of the day horseback riding around the property and even a few miles beyond. They stopped at a stream near their manor as night was falling to allow their horses a drink before returning home. Rebekah thanked her brother for the wonderful day he had given her. He'd told her that it was nothing.

She'd smiled sadly and said wishfully, "I wish things were always like this."

"What do you mean?", Nik had asked.

"I want us to always be happy. Always and forever", she'd said.

"Always and forever", he'd agreed, though of course it wasn't true. Not to long after, they left their little manor in Ireland, and their horses as well, to settle in yet another place.

Rebekah grew to learn that it was best not to grow accustomed to any one place. She also learned that they would not always and forever be happy.

*****Aw. A couple of sweet moments for you in this chapter. How are you looking the story so far? Anything you want to see happen? Let me know in the review section! **


	3. The Lost Love

*********I apologize for how short this chapter is. I wrote it on my phone so it looked longer than it actually is. But I promise to make up for it with the next chapter, which I've already started writing. I plan to have it posted by Friday. **

******Part Three: The Lost Love**

One hundred years had gone by quickly, and to Rebekah's displeasure they had not gone by so smoothly. Niklaus grew more different with each passing year. It grew more and more tiresome to be around him. The slightest things could set off his temper. Rebekah stuck by his side like a good sister should, but she was beginning to miss the way her brother use to be.

No matter where they went Mikael never seemed to be far behind. He always found them, and yet again they'd be forced to move on. They had settled almost every place in Europe. And along the way they had run into their brother Finn, and Nik's temper had came out again.

Rebekah had been strolling through the cobbled streets enjoying the street market when he'd come up behind her. "Hello sister", he'd said, sounding genuinely happy. She'd turned around and smiled at him, kissing him on the cheek and asking him how he'd been. They'd chatted for only a few minutes when Niklaus came walking towards them. "Well look who it is", Nik had said, and his voice had said he was not at all happy to see their big brother.

Finn loathed what their parents had turned them into, while Nik quite enjoyed it. He and Finn had never seen eye to eye on anything. Though today they decided to keep up with false curtsies. Elijah had found the three of them talking, and they'd all returned home to "catch up".

Yet a few hours later after she thought all of her brothers were in bed like she was, she'd tiptoed downstairs and been horrified with what she found. Finn lying on the ground, desiccated with a silver dagger in his heart, and Niklaus standing over him.

"What have you done?", Rebekah had accused. And Nik had told her that Finn was better off this way. He assured her that Finn's death was not permanent, the removal of the dagger would bring their brother back to life. Though he forbade her to touch him. He'd locked Finn in a coffin and he was all but forgotten.

In that moment, things had changed. Rebekah knew that things with her brother would never be the same.

* * *

Things were different after Finn. Rebekah could feel the change in her brother. He was growing cold and distant. Almost any sign of the man he had once been were gone. Slowly but surely Rebekah watched as her brother turned into a monster, and it broke her heart. The brother she once had was still there she knew. She just had to find him. And so she stayed.

There were times when she thought that he was still the same old Nik. But then he'd do something cruel yet again and her hopes would plummet. Even his smiles were never the same. They didn't reach his eyes. Rebekah tried several times to reach him, but it seemed the harder she tried the more he pushed her away. Any attempt at conversation seemed to turn into an altercation, so she rarely spoke to her brother at all.

She'd come downstairs one evening when she couldn't sleep to find Nik painting. He'd always been a wonderful artist, and he seemed happy when he painted. She'd tried to watch him quietly but with their vampire senses that was nearly impossible. He'd heard her. "Was there something you wanted Rebekah?", he'd asked. Not "Bekah", not "little sister". Not anymore.

"I couldn't sleep is all", she'd answered. "I didn't realize anyone was down here."

He turned around to look at her for a brief moment before turning back to his painting. He sighed and said, "If you're going to stay, sit. Don't hover behind me, it's distracting." And so she did.

They sat in silence but it hadn't bothered her. If she could spend any amount of time with her brother where they weren't arguing, she would take it. As she'd watched him paint she'd remembered a time when her brother had tried to teach her to draw. She'd been 7 and she was horrible at it, but she'd enjoyed it because she got to spend time with her brother.

She vowed that she would find that Nik again, no matter how long it took. After all, they had forever.

And when he'd finished his painting and left to go upstairs, he'd told her, "Goodnight little sister", and his smile had reached his eyes.

* * *

In the years that followed it seemed her brothers spent less and less time in her company. Elijah was still pleasant with her as he always was, though he preferred to be by himself. He didn't openly express it as Finn had done, but Rebekah knew he didn't care for what they had become.

They were far from the only vampires anymore. Niklaus and Kol had each turned a handful of people, those had turned others and so on. She couldn't be sure why Kol was creating new vampires, but Nik created them for one reason only: his own gain.

He'd told her eyes in all corners of the world would provide them with protection. His vampires could warn them of where Mikael was. Rebekah suspected he just enjoyed the power of it all. He would only turn those he was sure would be loyal to him. One sign of disobedience and he killed him.

He had a few that he kept around him, those who had earned his trust. One of them, named Richard, she actually grew fond of. The others treated her like a little girl, and at her brothers command she was sure, followed her and kept their eyes on her. But Richard was kind to her. They grew close and soon, were sneaking of away from Nik's minions so they could be alone.

It didn't take long for Rebekah to fall for him. They continued their relationship in secret for almost a year before Richard asked her to go away with him. At first the idea appalled her. Leave her brothers? The life she had with them was the only life she'd ever known. Richard gave her time to think things over, but told her he would go with or without her. He couldn't live being her brothers slave no longer.

So even though it went against her promise of always and forever to her brothers, she agreed to run away with him.

* * *

She packed in a rush as silent as she could on the night she and Richard were to leave. Though she was sure she loved Richard, she couldn't help but feel terrible about lying to Nik and Elijah. They were family, her blood. What would Nik become if she didn't stay behind to help him? What would he and Elijah do to each other with her gone? Most importantly, could she walk away and not look back?

She tried her best to bury all her doubts as she left, sneaking quietly as she could out to the stables. The door was slightly ajar, which should have caught her attention. It had been locked tight before they all went to bed. There was too much running through her mind though, and she thought nothing of it.

When she opened the door, her mouth opened wide in a gasp and she dropped all her things. She wanted to scream, but no sound would leave her lips. Instead tears welled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks, falling onto her pretty new dress. The floor was soaked through with blood, various limbs scattered about. A head, Richard's head, lay not inches away from her feet. And standing among the carnage was Niklaus, a look of pure rage painted on his face.

_To be continued..._

*****I'm mean for stopping it with a cliffhanger, but it seemed liked a good spot to end the chapter. Update coming by Friday. As always reviews are appreciated. **


	4. The First Fight

*****Well will you look at that. I'm actually updating a day earlier than I promised too. This was one of my favorite chapters to write so far. Though the next two chapters coming up I think are going to be the best in the story *wink*. I apologize for how angst filled this story has turned out to be. I intended for it to be something completely different, but its like the story is writing itself. But as I've said for, I don't really think any story about the Mikaelson siblings can be all sunshine and rainbows. That being said, I'll stop rambling. I know I ended on a cliffy, so please enjoy the chapter :)**

_Previously: The floor was soaked through with blood, various limbs scattered about. A head, Richard's head, lay not inches away from her feet. And standing among the carnage was Niklaus, a look of pure rage painted on his face._

**Part Four: The First Fight**

Rebekah was stunned silent. The tears continued to fall, if her undead heart could still beat it would have pounded in her chest, and at first she thought all she felt was sorrow. Though as she stood there looking at the remains of a man she had loved, a new feeling rose up within her. Anger.

"Why would you do such a thing?", she yelled.

The look of hot rage didn't leave Nik's face as he spoke. "I'm the one who has been lied, who has every right to be angry and you yell at me?", he said.

"Look what you have done! Are you honestly going to lay the blame on me?", she screamed, so furious at her brother. She had wanted nothing more than to make him pay for the pain she felt in that moment.

Nik was in front of her in a blur so quickly even she hadn't seen him coming. He was just suddenly a mere few inches from her. "You were going to abandon your family! And for what? For him?", he accused, pointing at the scattered body parts that had once been Richard. "He was a pathetic coward. Tell me sister, was he worth betraying your blood?"

Rebekah didn't know what else to say. She simply said quietly, "I loved him."

Niklaus looked appalled. "Love is weakness Rebekah and we cannot afford to be weak."

Rebekah was confused and hurt and angry. "Do you not love Elijah and I? Do we not love you?", she had asked, the tears threatening to spill from her eyes once more.

Nik had sighed and put his hands on her shoulders firmly. "That is the point. Our love for one another makes us weak. Mikael and others will use it against us. I can't have you distracted by your affections for someone, or away from Elijah and I and something happen to you." He paused for a moment, sighing and giving her shoulders what she thought to be an affectionate squeeze. "Whatever I do, whether it be daggering Finn, keeping you by my side, or creating more vampires, I do it to protect you. To protect our family."

Rebekah said nothing. The tears were all dried up now, and the anger slowly fading away. She wasn't sure what she felt then, other then despair. She was sad for her lost love, saddened by what her family had become. The Nik she'd loved as a human and in the first few years of her vampire life was nowhere to be found. A monster she didn't recognize had taken his place. And she feared that there would be no love between them anymore.

* * *

She half expected Niklaus to dagger her as he had done Finn. Though for some unknown reason, he didn't. She suspected Elijah had had something to do with that. She noticed things had become tense between the two of them as well. If the two brothers spoke to each other at all it was only out of pure necessity. Rebekah watched in horror as her family's relationships crumbled. Her anger with Nik was still there. How could it not be? He'd killed Richard. Though she couldn't help but think about the things Nik had said to her afterward.

Did he truely believe by forcing her to remain by his side he was protecting her? And how could daggering Finn possibly be protecting her or the family? She was beginning to think that Niklaus' reasoning was leaving him. They'd spent over 150 years on the run from place to place so as to keep a step ahead of Mikael, maybe all of it was getting to him. Though even if it was, it did nothing to excuse the awful things he had done. And yet she loved him still. Maybe she was crazy as well.

Even if she did love him, she would not stand by and watch their family fall apart because of his actions. She had to do something. Not just for herself, but for her brothers as well. She still held on to the foolish hope that maybe Nik could be saved. She would try. After all, hadn't she betrayed their promise? Wasn't abandoning not just Nik but Elijah going against their vow of always and forever? She had planned to leave them.

Would she have done it had Nik not killed Richard? She wasn't entirely sure.

For a half a decade the three of them remained together, though they lived as if they were total strangers. They spoke little to each other. Even Elijah rarely spoke to her. She suspected this was due to the fact that he had no patience for her and Niklaus' feud, which had grown worse. She wanted to help her brother she really did, but the sight of his face angered her. Every time she went to him in hopes of having a conversation with him, she pictured what he had done to Richard, to Finn even. Her anger would rise up and they would argue and throw more salt in the wound. Many times Elijah had to stop their fights from becoming physical.

She was more than prepared to leave until Kol showed up unexpectedly.

* * *

When she'd opened the door and saw Kol standing there she had frozen in place at first. Then she'd smiled and threw her arms around his neck. Kol laughed and returned the hug. She'd been so happy to see him. They hadn't saw him since their mothers death. Suddenly though Kol had gone stiff in her arms. She had pulled back, confused at the look on Kol's face. Until she turned and saw what or rather who Kol was looking at. Niklaus.

"Hello brother", Kol had said stiffly. "Not up to giving me a warm welcome like our sister has I see." Rebekah tried to plead Niklaus with her eyes, plead him not to start anything, to leave Kol be. But he ignored her, instead focusing all his attention on their brother.

Niklaus smirked as he did when he was up to no good. "Our sweet sister seems to have forgotten that you abandoned us. You fled like a coward when Mikael killed our mother."

"Are we not capable of being civil anymore?", Rebekah had complained. "We haven't seen Kol in ages. Can't our reunion be a happy one?"

Kol's face had been hard as stone. "I had no intentions of a happy reunion", he'd said coldly. Back then Rebekah hadn't understood the look of pure rage he gave Niklaus. Though she knew better now. Somehow he had known that Niklaus had been the one that really killed their mother. He didn't buy the lie that Mikael killed her like the other siblings had done.

Rebekah held her breath for a few tense seconds, not sure what was going to happen. She expected Niklaus to spring at Kol. Instead, Kol had rushed from her side, a stake that she had not seen he had clutched in his hand. White oak. He shoved Niklaus back so harshly he slammed back against the far wall. Kol advanced on him, the stake held up at the ready.

Rebekah's blood had turned to ice. "Kol no!", she'd screamed. For a second she dare not move, hoping her brother would listen to her plea and stop. Niklaus had recovered already, he stood face to face with Kol, white rage that Rebekah swore she could feel pulsing through his entire being. He taunted Kol, egging him on, telling him to try. "Kol, Nik, please", she begged. Her voice sounded like a little girls.

They threw punches so fast her eyes could barely follow. All she could try and do was watch the stake and pray Niklaus didn't shove it through Kol's chest. The stake was still secure in Kol's hand as he kicked Niklaus with heavy force, knocking him to his back. He held him down by his neck, which judging from the sounds was close to snapping. Kol raised the stake above his head.

Rebekah had but a second to react, though her vampire mind processed everything quickly in that short amount of time. All she could think of was Kol actually plunging that stake into Nik's chest, of Nik dead and lifeless. No more twinkle in his eyes. No more time's of him calling her "little sister". No more chances for her to save him. She couldn't bare the thought, couldn't stand to even think of it. She did what she had to do.

She dashed over to her brothers, snatched the stake from Kol's hand catching him off guard, and threw him aside. Kol landed with a thud against the wall. The look he shot at Rebekah was one of shock and betrayal. He gave Niklaus one last angry look and then he was gone, out the door at vampire speed.

Rebekah dropped the white oak stake and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She remained on her knees, inhaling and exhaling in an attempt to calm herself. Nik sat up, he was only inches away from her side. "It would seem little sister, that you don't hate me as much as you say you do", he'd said, smiling at her.

"He was going to kill you", she said quickly. "I couldn't let him no matter how I feel about you."

Niklaus got to his feet and then reached down a hand to Rebekah. After a moment she took it, standing up beside him slowly. "Contrary to what you may believe Rebekah, I do not hate you", Niklaus said. "Quite the opposite actually." He smiled at her sweetly and kissed her cheek, something he hadn't done since they were very young. "Try and remember what I said. I do what I do to protect you."

He'd turned and begun to walk away from her until she stopped him, asking him timidly to wait. When he looked at her she could see the Nik she'd always loved in his smile. "You are my brother Nik", she'd said. "I will always love you no matter what you do."

* * *

Rebekah and Niklaus had told Elijah nothing of the fight when he'd returned later that night. He was clearly suspicious of the fact that the two siblings suddenly getting along again but he kept quiet, probably not wanting to spoil their reconciliation.

They left the very next day, using the excuse that they'd been in one place for too long. Elijah didn't question this, but Rebekah could tell he knew something was amiss. He didn't question the decision though. He left beside his siblings without complaint as he always did.

They made their way to Italy. They settled into a small town and to Rebekah's delight, she liked it there. It reminded her somewhat of home, though it was much more beautiful. Their home in Italy was one of her favorites through the years. Though when she looked back on it now, she barely could stand the memories.

Things remained civil between her and Nik. He seemed at ease there at first. He'd often spend his afternoons with Rebekah like he'd done in their human years. They'd go horseback riding or simply walk through the forest and talk. He seemed to shower her with affection, and she was grateful for his delightful mood. She savored every moment, every smile.

She had hoped again that things would stay this good between them. For nearly a decade they remained that way, Rebekah enjoying their rare time of bliss as a seemingly happy family.

Then she'd met Alexander, and things had changed once more.

*****Well we all know what comes next right? To be completely honest, I'm so excited for the next couple of chapters. I've been looking forward to writing them since I started this story. I plan to post the next chapter on Monday. I want it to be as amazing as possible. Honestly guys, I'm so stoked! **


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